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Construction starting
on university’s heating, cooling systems

A project is underway
at Shippensburg University to update its heating and cooling systems that will
save the university hundreds of thousands of dollars and reduce its carbon
footprint.

“The project is
necessary to replace the aging infrastructure and to take advantage of reduced
operating costs,” according to Lance Bryson, associate vice president of
facilities management and planning. “The primary mission is to provide a safe,
reliable, and cost effective environment for the university to perform its
primary mission of educating students.”

The $30.2 million project is funded by the state through the
state’s Capital Funding program. Upon completion, the university expects to
save approximately $330,000 per year in electricity costs.

The current
coal-powered steam plant used for heating will be decommissioned. Four new
centralized heating “neighborhoods” powered by natural gas will be used for
on-campus heating. Those systems will be operational by the end of this September.
Existing pipes from the steam plant will be used for the new heating system,
saving the university approximately $10 million by not having to replace the
underground steam system.

A new cooling plant
will be constructed near the Cora I. Grove Spiritual Center that will
centralize chilled water. The chilled water will be distributed underground to
buildings for air conditioning. Currently, each building with air conditioning
has its own unit. Grass and landscaping will replace units outside of each
building. This part of the project is expected to be complete by April 2015.

In addition to savings in electricity, the shift from coal
to natural gas is anticipated to reduce the university’s carbon footprint by 31
percent. The centralization of the chilled water production is anticipated to
reduce the carbon footprint by another eight percent.

During construction,
campus sidewalks, roads and pathways will be affected. Contractors will provide
alternate routes for any pathway that must be temporarily closed and excavations
will be safe and well-marked for campus safety.

The first area
affected will be Cumberland Drive, Franklin Science Center and Ceddia Union
Building sidewalks and paths. Other areas on campus will be affected as the
work progresses.